By The Shorncliffe Trust - community@shorncliffe-trust.org.uk in Press Release

International artist Patsy Frankson has donated two limited edition prints entitled 'The Great War' to the Shorncliffe Trust to help them raise funds and raise awareness for their Heritage and Education Charity retelling the story of three centuries of Military History at Shorncliffe, near Folkestone, acknowledged as the birthplace of the modern British Army under Sir John Moore. The framed prints carry a value of over £350 and are from a limited print run of 250 in the series.

Yesterday, Rob and I visited the House of Lords to speak with Baroness Jolly who is the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health. We asked her to pursue the failure of every one of Kent's NHS Trusts to use any of their Apprenticeship Levy to fund a single Nursing Apprenticeship in Kent.

Employers with a pay bill of over £3 million have been liable since April 2017 to pay a Government levy which will fund Apprenticeships nationwide. Half of the money paid can be claimed back by the employer to fund their own Apprenticeship schemes. But despite crying out for nurses, none of Kent's NHS Trusts has claimed this free money back to do so. The money is lost to the employer if not claimed back within two years.

More than eight years after Folkestone and Hythe Lib Dems Lynne Beaumont and Tim Prater called on the then Shepway District Council to webcast meetings, they've finally gone ahead and done it!

The Council announced on Tuesday that they would be web casting their first meeting, the controversial planning meeting to discuss plans to alter the Folkestone seafront development. All future meetings will now be available to stream on their website at https://folkestone-hythe.public-i.tv/core/portal/home.

Liberal Democrats have called on the county's MPs to put Kent and the country's interests first, and support remaining in the customs union.

As a Commons vote looks increasingly likely, MPs are being urged to put party politics aside and vote to protect more than 45,000 Kent jobs directly related to European trade.

Any disruption to free-flowing trade with the continent could have catastrophic consequences for the county. Many sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, fishing and transport rely on the customs union to be able to trade freely and easily with European customers and suppliers.

And as the UK's gateway to Europe, Kent will bear the brunt of delays and disruption caused by border checks. About 11,000 lorries pass through Dover every day and there are fears the county could face almost permanent Operation Stack if customs checks are imposed, gridlocking Kent's roads and causing untold damage to livelihoods and the economy.

Councillor Antony Hook, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Economic Development, said: "As the catastrophic implications of Brexit become clear, our MPs owe it to the people of Kent to defend their interests in the face of the government's disastrous and short-sighted policies.

"Remaining in the customs union would go some way towards protecting jobs and businesses, but we will continue to campaign for a people's vote on the final deal once we know the facts."

Last year Kent Liberal Democrats tabled a motion calling for Kent County Council to write to ministers asking them to "take all necessary steps to ensure to continued free flow of freight between Kent and continental Europe, at least as seamlessly as present."

It asked Parliament to consider all legal possibilities for Kent and the UK outside the EU, including retaining membership of the single market and customs union. The Channel Islands, which are not EU members yet retain access to the customs union, offer a potential model.

A lorry from within the EU typically takes two minutes to clear customs at Dover, while a lorry from outside the EU takes 20 minutes. At the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee last month, Chancellor Phillip Hammond sent his clearest warning yet that Dover could 'grind to a halt', if customs checks were imposed.

In July 2015 Operation Stack gridlocked Kent for several weeks, with queues of lorries stretching more than 30 miles down the M20. The cost of the disruption to the UK economy has been estimated by the Freight Transport Association at more than £250m.

Kent Police also faced a hefty bill of more than £700,000 for managing the closures.

Folkestone and Hythe Lib Dem Gary Fuller has reacted with fury at news reports that Folkestone and Hythe District Council may be again considering its unpopular plan to store nuclear waste under the Romney Marsh.

Recent news reports have suggested that Cllr David Godfrey, cabinet member for special projects, "would feel comfortable" with the idea of a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) the size of 22 wembley stadiums being situated under the Marsh. Reports also suggest that Folkestone and Hythe District Council has asked for more information from the Government about its plans for such a facility.

It's a long way from Orkney & Shetland so Canterbury & Coastal Liberal Democrats are delighted that Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland and Chief Whip will be our guest speaker at this years Annual Dinner, and welcome Lib Dem members from across Kent to join us.

The Dinner is on Wednesday 9th May 6.30pm for 7.00pm at Canterbury Baptist Church, St George's Place, Canterbury CT1 1UT. Tickets cost £30 if booked by April 27th, £35 thereafter, for a drinks reception and dinner, including wine and soft drinks, followed by tea or coffee and homemade cakes.

The Liberal Democrats are the only party fighting to keep Britain open, tolerant and united.

Open means open-hearted, open-minded, forward-looking, modern, green, internationalist and pro-European. We believe Britain is at its best when it is creative, innovative and outward-looking, comfortable in the fast-changing modern world and open to the opportunities and challenges of globalisation and the digital revolution.

Tolerant means diverse, compassionate and generous. We will always fight injustice and stand up for the underdog, the outsider, the individual, the minority and the vulnerable against the powerful.

United means we will always put the interests of the whole United Kingdom first. We reject the divisions in society, whether between young and old, urban and rural, leave and remain, or between regions and nations. We believe we are stronger - as communities, as a country and as a world - when we work together in our common interest.

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